BIOL 530

We will use the latitudinal increase in diversity towards the equator as a launching point to explore how diversity forms, is maintained, and disappears, and why we find such dramatic variation in diversity around the world.

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Course discussions will focus on both evolutionary and ecological perspectives of diversity, and we will review various hypotheses to explain latitudinal diversity gradients.

Class schedule     classes by Zoom, Weds & Thurs 11:30am - 1:00pm

Week 1    Wednesday, January 13, 2021   Introduction & complex questions in science
                 Thursday, January 14, 2021    Strong inference
    

Week 2    Wednesday, January 20, 2021    Multiple working hypotheses
                  Thursday, January 21, 2021    Biological patterns across latitude
    

Week 3    Wednesday, January 27, 2021    A framework for studying diversity gradients
                  Thursday, January 28, 2021    The latitudinal gradient through deep time
 

Week 4    Student presentations begin 

                 (note: gray means someone has taken the topic for presentation already)

                 Wednesday, February 3, 2021   Latitudinal Variation in Cladogenesis & Extinction
                 Thursday, February 4, 2021    Janzen's Hypothesis
 

Week 5   Wednesday, February 10, 2021    Asynchrony of Seasons Hypothesis
                 Thursday, February 11, 2021    Shifting Ranges Hypothesis
 

Week 6   Reading week    

Week 7   Wednesday, February 24, 2021    Biotic vs Abiotic Selection Hypothesis
                 Thursday, February 25, 2021    Geographic Area Hypothesis
 

Week 8   Wednesday, March 3, 2021    Species Energy - Rates of Evolution Hypothesis
                  Thursday, March 4, 2021    Species Energy - Number of Individuals Hypothesis
 

Week 9   Wednesday, March 10, 2021    Glacial Extinctions Hypothesis
                  Thursday, March 11, 2021    Tropical Niche Conservatism Hypothesis
 

Week 10  Wednesday, March 17, 2021    Density-dependent Mortality Hypothesis
                  Thursday, March 18, 2021    Climate Stability - Niche Overlap Hypothesis
 

Week 11  Wednesday, March 24, 2021    Climate Stability - Population Size Hypothesis
                  Thursday, March 25, 2021    Biotic Interactions - Ecological Breadth Hypothesis
 

Week 12  Wednesday, March 31, 2021    Evolutionary Time Hypothesis
                  Thursday, April 1, 2021    Environmental Harshness Hypothesis
 

Week 13  Wednesday, April 7, 2021    Geometric Constraints Hypothesis
                  Thursday, April 8, 2021    Wrap-up discussion. 

Grade breakdown

Presentation of hypothesis & predictions  30%          instructions & rubric

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Co-presentation of critical assessment  15%          instructions & rubric

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Major written paper  35%          instructions & rubric

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In-class participation  20%          instructions & rubric

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There are no formal exams in this class.

Class readings    (I will send out readings each week by email)

Week 1    Wednesday, January 13, 2021   no readings
                 Thursday, January 14, 2021    Platt 1964 Science 146:347-353
    

Week 2    Wednesday, January 20, 2021    Chamberlin 1965 Science 148:754-759
                  Thursday, January 21, 2021    Hillebrand 2004 American Naturalist 163:192-211
    

Week 3    Wednesday, January 27, 2021    Jablonski et al. 2006 Science 314: 102-106
                  Thursday, January 28, 2021    Mannion et al. 2014. TREE 29:42-50

Week 4    Student presentations begin

                 Wednesday, Febrary 3, 2021    Weir & Schluter 2007 Science 315:1574-1576 &

                                                                        Martin et al. 2007 J. Evol. Biol. 20:930-936
                 Thursday, February 4, 2021    Ghalambor et al. 2006 Integr. & Comp. Biol. 46:5-17

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Week 5   Wednesday, Febrary 10, 2021    Martin et al. 2009 Ideas Ecol. Evol. 2:9-17.
                 Thursday, February 11, 2021    Dynesius & Jansson 2000 PNAS 97:9115-9120

Week 6   Reading week    

Week 7   Wednesday, Febrary 24, 2021    Schemske 2009 book chapter
                 Thursday, February 25, 2021    Rosenzweig 1992 J. Mammalogy 73:715-730

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Week 8   Wednesday, March 3, 2021    Allen et al. 2006 PNAS 103:9130-9135
                  Thursday, March 4, 2021    Wright 1983 Oikos 41:496-506  &

                                                                 Currie & Paquin 1987 Nature 329:326-327

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Week 9   Wednesday, March 10, 2021    Adams & Woodward 1989 Nature 339:699–701 &  

                                                            McGlone 1996 Global Ecol. Biogeogr. Letters 5:309-314
                  Thursday, March 11, 2021    Wiens & Donaghue 2004 TREE 19:639-644

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Week 10  Wednesday, March 17, 2021    Hille Ris Lambers et al. 2002 Nature 417:732-735
                  Thursday, March 18, 2021    Klopfer & MacArthur 1961 Am. Naturalist 95:223-226

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Week 11  Wednesday, March 24, 2021    Connell & Orias 1964 Am. Naturalist 98:399-414
                  Thursday, March 25, 2021    Dyer et al. 2007 Nature 448:696-699

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Week 12  Wednesday, March 31, 2021    Fischer 1960 Evolution 14:64-81 (excerpt only)
                  Thursday, April 1, 2021    Brown & Gibson 1983 (excerpt from book) &

                                                              Thiery 1982 Biological Reviews 57:671-710 (excerpt)

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Week 13  Wednesday, April 7, 2021    Collwell & Lee 2000 TREE 15:70-76
                  Thursday, April 8, 2021    Jetz & Fine 2012 PLoS Biology 10:e1001292